| The banner-tailed kangaroo rat, Dipodomys spectabilis, is a granivorous rodent that inhabits arid and semiarid areas of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This rodent is dependent for food on seeds that it caches in its burrow system. Moist, temperate conditions within the burrow systems favor fungal proliferation and the seeds rapidly are colonized by many species of fungi. This research investigated the population biology of the kangaroo rats, the species composition and abundance of molds associated with the kangaroo rats and in their general environment, and the effect of molds on the rodents. Samples were taken from the cheekpouches and hind feet of kangaroo rats captured in a live-trapping study, from soil at and away from their burrow systems, and from seeds of their food plants.;Circa 140 species of fungi were recovered in four years of sampling. Molds associated with the kangaroo rats differed substantially from those in the soil or on seeds. Species composition and abundance of molds varied seasonally and among years. The effects of the molds on the kangaroo rats are unclear. Kangaroo rats retrieved both moldy and non-moldy seeds in seed choice trials in the field. Molds caused changes in seed nutritional composition. Many of the molds recovered also may produce antibiotics and toxins that could affect the health of kangaroo rats. Seed caches of rodents may be the natural habitat of molds that infest human grain stores. |
